


Under the Stars

by flowerywoo



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Age Difference, Fluff, M/M, Romance, Secret Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-12
Updated: 2019-08-12
Packaged: 2020-08-19 21:06:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,867
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20216269
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flowerywoo/pseuds/flowerywoo
Summary: Somewhere in between late night drives and skies full of stars, Jaehyun promises Jungwoo to never walk away from him, for he wants a future together and is willing to wait until the babe is ready. And in exchange, Jungwoo promised himself he'd give Jaehyun the rest of his life.





	Under the Stars

**Author's Note:**

> Title: Under the Stars
> 
> Genre(s): Fluff, Romance 
> 
> Pairing: Jaewoo! (Mentions of Doyoung only)
> 
> Rating(s): Teenagers and up? Idk..graphic description of kissing and mild implications of sexual content
> 
> Additional Notes: There's a mild age-gap (Jungwoo is 23 and Jaehyun is 26. Doyoung isn't very relevant here but he's 28) but nothing too extreme. 
> 
> This is actually a combination of a more PG (less implicated) version of Highway to Heaven (English version) and a little fantasy of my own that I've been carrying with me for years. I'll make it happen one day. But...yeah. I had a horrible night and I had to de-stress and that's how this happened lol

“In-N-Out!”

Jaehyun couldn’t help the automatic smile that formed on his lips. If there was one thing Jungwoo absolutely loved more than chocolate ice cream, then it was In-N-Out burgers. Jaehyun didn’t mind them, but he wasn’t the biggest fan out there either. Yes, they were better compared to other burgers he had tried before, but they weren’t automatically the best. There were so many places he had yet to try and he couldn’t limit his final decision to one of the most reoccurring places in his life—courtesy of Jungwoo, of course.

“Whatever you want, love. Just don’t eat too fast. You’ll get sick again and we’ll end up at the ER. We don’t want that, do we?” Shaking his head at the elder, the blond boy couldn’t stop himself from smiling so widely. And why? Simply because Jung Jaehyun, who also went by several different titles other than _‘Jungwoo’s boyfriend’_, was the one sitting behind the wheel and taking Jungwoo to do something he had been wanting to do for ages now.

It’d be a long drive. In fact, Jungwoo was bound to fall asleep for a good hour or two before they arrived, but Jaehyun had been planning this for weeks for it to be perfect. Despite the fact that it was early January and that it was colder than a polar bear’s butt, the brunet couldn’t bring himself to delay this much longer. Jungwoo had mentioned in several occasions that he wanted to leave the city one night to go look at the stars. To anyone else, such plan was probably dumb and unnecessary, but Jaehyun didn’t see it that way. If anything, he thought of it as an opportunity to bond with the younger once again, for he merely wanted to make Jungwoo the happiest he could ever be.

And that was a goal he had already achieved. Jungwoo was the happiest when they were together. So what if Jaehyun was a little older than him? There were only three years in between them, and he had met Jungwoo when the boy was a new grad. They had been together for two years, and currently, at twenty-three, the babe had decided to go back to school and become a physician assistant. He already performed a lot of the tasks of one at the hospital, might as well get the title and earn the money, or so Jungwoo had said. Jaehyun merely nodded and supported whatever he wanted to do.

“Do you mind if I get myself some animal fries?” asked the younger blond, reaching out to hold his boyfriend’s unoccupied hand and smiling to himself when the elder gladly linked their fingers together. Jaehyun’s hand was warm and dry whilst Jungwoo’s smaller hand was clammy, quite a physical characteristic of the younger that Jaehyun had come to love. It brought him comfort. And clammy hands weren’t gross or inconvenient as others claimed. He learned on his own that, if such “negative,” or rather “personal” characteristics, as the brunet referred to them, went disregarded completely from a subjective point of view, then all that was left was the person’s mannerism and personality. Jungwoo’s clammy hands weren’t a flaw. _Au contraire_, for they were something special that made the babe unique from others around him.

“Why would I mind? Get yourself whatever you want, love,” said the elder, bringing Jungwoo’s hand closer to his lips and pressing a kiss to his knuckles, momentarily distracting himself from the highway to look at the pretty shade of red covering his boyfriend’s cheeks.

_I can’t believe you’re real, _thought the brunet to himself, turning his head again to face the highway to avoid any potential accidents. Yes, there were hardly any cars around anymore. It was already past ten and they were nearing the outskirts of the city. Soon, they’d be entering a less populated area of the neighboring city—where they’d hopefully get their dinner before they were continuously on their way to the full country side—and by then the number of cars surrounding them would decrease significantly to probably none. And that meant that Jungwoo would be able to blast music to his heart’s content without worrying about making anyone feel uncomfortable. Or maybe the solitude of the highway would lure the babe to dreamland, for he was running on four hours of sleep.

Yeah, Jaehyun felt bad after finding out his boyfriend had taken a midterm in the morning and had then rushed to the hospital to start his shift. He was supposed to be out by five, but there were apparently too many cases and the OR had been hectic. Regardless of that, however, the babe had happily greeted him and had thrown his whole body against the elder, not bothering to control himself in front of his older brother—Doyoung, who by the way was the main reason behind this little adventure, for he had tricked their parents into thinking they’d be going to Vegas with their friends for the weekend—as he desperately pressed their lips together and molded them into a slow dance, completely disregarding Doyoung and his friends in the background and their obnoxious complaints about “going blind” from their PDA.

Quite frankly, the brunet owed Doyoung so much. They were close to each other in age (Doyoung was two years older than Jaehyun) but it seemed to Jaehyun as if the elder was more composed and mature despite being hardy any older than him. And he had so much to thank him for. Doyoung didn’t oppose to their relationship at all, but he wasn’t supporting it either. He strongly believed that Jungwoo was merely infatuated with him and he’d end up hurt. But progressively, the elder changed his mind about his brother and Jaehyun. And now he was their biggest supporter despite the many problems they had to face.

Jungwoo and Doyoung still lived with their parents. And funnily enough, neither one could leave until they got married. _"Doyoung does not believe in marriage so he’ll probably be stuck at home for life,"_ Jungwoo said one night when he was talking about the elder. Jaehyun, on the other hand, had left his house as soon as he had saved enough money to get himself a small apartment. His parents weren’t strict about living with them, and even if they were, Jaehyun had decided he’d defy them in order to be independent.

Jungwoo wasn’t an early bloomer, unlike himself. He was still coddled by his brother and mother, normally kept inside a protective bubble that no one could penetrate. That was until Jaehyun walked into his life and taught him a thing or two about giving other people chances. If anything, the brunet enjoyed the innocence and vulnerability that surrounded Jungwoo, but the babe was stronger than he seemed. He liked to observe before taking action, and he had proven in several occasions that age and independence have absolutely nothing to do with maturity. If anything, Jaehyun had learned a few things from his little boyfriend.

“Get some rest, sweetheart. I’ll order your food and I’ll wake you up when we arrive,” said the elder, squeezing the babe’s hand to reassure him that it was fine to indulge himself in dreamland for a few hours. Because when he woke up, Jaehyun would still be here with him, still holding his hand and making sure he was okay.

And thus, the younger boy gave in, closing his eyes and adjusting his neck pillow to avoid waking up with a stiff neck. He felt his boyfriend’s lips brushing against his fingers once again and Jungwoo couldn’t help the pretty smile decorating his plump lips.

He was so in love with Jung Jaehyun that anything else at this point seemed to be completely disregarded as long as they were together. He could easily show his vulnerable side and still feel protected around the brunet, which is precisely why he didn’t hesitate to surrender himself to the darkness as he lost consciousness of his surroundings.

And Jaehyun didn’t let go of his hand.

Not when he went around the drive-thru to order, or when he pulled his wallet out and struggled to pull out his card, or even when he received the food and played Tetris between his own legs to put the food down within his own driving compartment to not disturb the younger. He still didn’t let go of Jungwoo’s hand as he drove for an extra hour to the outskirts of the last city and into the borderlines of the country side, where he found a resting place after another hour and finally pulled over.

And even so, he allowed the babe to sleep for an extra thirty minutes simply because he couldn’t bring himself to wake him up.

Jaehyun was so in love with the younger boy that he smiled to himself and watched the full sky through the glass of his window, lovingly stroking the younger’s thumb with his own and counting the minutes until the babe woke up, for he also couldn’t wait for him to witness all the beautiful starts covering the sky.

* * *

Jungwoo stared at the sky in awe as he munched on his double-double (no onions and no tomatoes) whilst sitting on the hood of Jaehyun’s car, occasionally sipping on his coke with a content smile decorating his lips.

It was such a different experience to witness this moment with his boyfriend, for it made the memory so much precious and romantic. The only other occasions he had witnessed this were all the different times he traveled with his family, minus the fact that it was always with Doyoung. They often sat together on the hood of their parents’ car to simply admire the beauty of the stars covering every single inch of the sky, nearly bringing tears to their eyes for they didn’t think such things existed. The polluted air of the city ruined the view of a full sky, almost making the siblings regret living in such a place.

Those thoughts never lasted too long, however, for they were both city boys that would probably die if they ever moved to the country side. That thought alone made Jungwoo smile to himself, because Doyoung would probably last a day or two only before packing his bags and going back to the city.

It was such a love-hate relationship, but the city had so many good things that couldn’t be left behind or forgotten—Jaehyun being one of them.

“You look the prettiest when you smile,” said the brunet, coming back to the hood of his car where his boyfriend was comfortably sitting after he moved away momentarily to dispose his trash. Jungwoo was a slow eater and he still wasn’t done with his food, but he’d get there _eventually_. It also didn’t help that he was much distracted by the pretty view up there, almost making him forget he’s supposed to be chewing and swallowing at the same time. So much for multi-tasking.

“You’re such a flirt, Mr. Jung,” said the babe, sending the elder a teasing smile as Jaehyun stepped in front of him (or rather the hood of the car) and carefully pulled the younger’s legs closer to him, watching in amusement as Jungwoo’s body slowly slid down the hood until he was trapped at the edge with Jaehyun standing between his now-parted legs. The younger couldn’t help the genuinely smile that replaced the playful one from seconds ago, not hesitating to wrap his arms (burger and all) around the elder’s neck and pulling him down slowly to kiss him.

Jaehyun didn’t indulge their lips in a dance despite how badly he wanted to. He merely pressed their lips together for several seconds until he pulled away, watching the crestfallen expression on his boyfriend’s face as he tried figuring out why Jaehyun didn’t deepen the kiss.

And he wanted to do it, believe him, but Jungwoo was not done with his food. He was not ready to open a can of worms that he wouldn’t be able to seal again for the night, and most importantly, Jungwoo _had_ to finish his food. Jaehyun was dying to kiss the living lights out of the younger, but being the older between them implied being responsible, and Jungwoo’s health (despite how unhealthy the meal was) came first. He hadn’t had much to eat throughout the day, so he’d make sure he finished the burger at the very least. He could care less about the fries (even though they were good, he had stolen a few from him) really, as long as he finished the forsaken burger.

“Finish your food, love. Then we can make-out all you want,” said the brunet, successfully making the younger blush, for that was all the encouragement he needed to speed up his pace.

“Hey babe,” said the younger, earning himself a nod of acknowledgement from the brunet as he stared at the pretty sky above them. “Why did you decide to bring me here?”

For a lot of reasons, Jaehyun wanted to say. But that would be too much of a simple answer. And with Jungwoo, nothing was ever simple. But he loved their complicated life filled with technicalities that would most likely drive everyone else insane, because that’s what made them different from other couples. That’s what made Jungwoo (in particular) so unique and special, and Jaehyun loved everything about him.

“First of all, we haven’t seen each other in nearly three weeks, and I was about to go crazy. I may have chosen the wrong weekend since you probably wanted to sleep in after taking midterms this whole week, but I figured you needed a break. You needed a distraction from your job and school,” said the brunet, staring at the babe lovingly as he brushed away some blond strands that seemed to be out of place before continuing, “and I thought that leaving the city would be a good idea,” finished the brunet, placing a peck on the babe’s forehead as he chewed on whatever was left of his burger.

Jaehyun took the wrapper from the younger’s hands and offered him his half-eaten fries, only for Jungwoo to reject them and giving the elder approval to dispose them along with the soda.

“I did need a distraction. I needed to get out of the routine, you know? It’s been so long since I did something that wasn’t studying for a whole three hours before going to bed,” said Jungwoo, resting his head against the elder’s shoulder once Jaehyun came back and took his previous position between Jungwoo’s parted legs. “I just didn’t think you and Doyoung would get creative. You’re against the idea of me lying to my parents, yet you were the one that proposed lying to them? That’s almost unbelievable,” said the younger, teasing the elder as he wrapped his arms around his neck and pulled his face closer to slightly peck him on both cheeks.

“You’re right, I’m against it. You’re twenty-three and you’re doing amazing things on your own. I don’t want to be the reason behind a possible disappointment, love. You don’t need to lie to them to see me. All we need is an opening to meet up without them finding out,” said the elder, pecking Jungwoo’s pout away and earning himself a pretty smile from him.

Jungwoo’s smiles were angelic and Jaehyun couldn’t stop himself from staring.

“That’s the problem, though. I rarely get those opportunities. I can’t leave my house at random times during the night if I’m not with Doyoung, and I also can’t go out frequently without having to tell them my whereabouts. In case you haven’t noticed, I have no privacy, and you’re the one secret I want to keep hidden for as long as I can.”

A secret.

That was what their entire relationship was based on. Jaehyun was Jungwoo’s secret and had been so for two years now. Jungwoo refused to open-up to his parents about him out of fear of them rejecting him. And if it all came down to deciding, then the babe would most definitely choose Jaehyun over his own parents. And that was something he wasn’t ready to do yet. Instead, he wanted to get his life together first and show them that he didn’t need to get married to leave the house. And until then, once he was independent enough to do this without getting them suspicious of anything, he’d slowly introduce Jaehyun to them. Unfortunately, there was still a long way to go before that happened.

And the elder knew about his plan. And he supported the babe all the way. He was all in for Jungwoo’s independence under his own terms, because all he wanted was for the little blond to be happy. And if being independent was what would make him happy, then he’d be patient and wait until then. He was serious about the younger boy, and he wasn’t about to let these little technicalities affect their relationship. Not when he was so utterly in love and ready to give him the world if he said so.

This is what he meant by his relationship being anything but simple, and he was okay with that. He was okay with being patient, sneaking around, and being labeled as a secret in Jungwoo’s life. In fact, he was flattered, for he didn’t think anyone would go to such extents to be with him. But Jungwoo was doing it, and he was doing amazing too, for he was not letting anyone get in between them—not even his old-school parents whom happened to be beyond strict and the textbook definition of controlling.

“Babe, stop. I don’t mind. We’ve been doing this for two years already. A few more is not going to kill me. You’re doing amazing on your own. You’ve accomplished so much at such a young age. I am so proud of you and your achievements, and trust me when I tell you this, there is absolutely _nothing_ in this world that would make walk away from you—from us. Because this is what I want. You’re everything I want, regardless of whether I’m a secret in your life or not, I am not planning to walk away from the best thing that has ever happened to me. Stop worrying your pretty head over silly things that aren’t worth your time or attention. I love you, Jungwoo, and that’s something that won’t change.”

Instead of answering, the little blond pulled the brunet closer to him and pressed their lips together, indulging them in the slow dance he had so badly wanted earlier, only that this time the symbolism was different. He wanted the brunet to know how much he loved him, for he was willing to go to the extent of choosing him over his parents. And Jungwoo knew the elder deserved so much better than what he could offer him, but he was so unbelievably thankful that Jaehyun was willing to wait and support his every decision despite how dumb they may be sometimes. And thus, Jungwoo kissed the elder fervently, allowing the brunet’s tongue to explore his mouth and suck on his little muscle, earning himself a few whines from the younger as Jaehyun’s hold around his waist increased.

But before Jungwoo could take things further, the elder pulled away from him and pressed a kiss to the tip of his nose, cheeks, and forehead.

“Jaehyun—”

“Listen to me, Jungwoo, I brought you out here today because I want to promise you something.”

This was it.

He was going to do it and there was no way back. This is all he had been wanting to do for weeks now, but he hadn’t found the right time or place for it. But now was the perfect moment and he’d make it memorable for the babe.

“I, Jung Jaehyun, promise to be your emotional support when you need it. I love you so much, and you don’t even realize how amazing and special you are. I promise I will never walk away from you, because you make me the happiest man alive despite how complicated our relationship is. All I want, Jungwoo, is a life with you, and I am more than willing to wait until you’re ready. All you have to do is tell me when, and I’ll bring you the moon, the stars, and anything else you may want. You’re my everything, sweetheart, and I need you to know that you don’t have to worry. I’ll never leave you, and I also hope you don’t give up just yet. You’ll make it. You’ll be independent and when that day comes, I’ll be right there with you, my love.” said the brunet, pressing a kiss to the babe’s lips.

And so Jungwoo cried.

Cried for all the stupid insecurities he had, which clearly proved to be nothing but an inconvenience to him and Jaehyun, for the male was here promising to give him his life whenever he was ready to accept their future together. Jungwoo felt stupid. He couldn’t believe he had been worrying over minor technicalities. Jaehyun wanted a life with him and that was something the younger blond had just come into terms with.

Jaehyun _loved_ him.

He wanted them to be together and he was willing to wait.

The younger wrapped his arms around his boyfriend and took in his natural scent, almost finding it hard to believe that Jaehyun truly wanted him. Technicalities and whatnot, the brunet wanted him—them. And Jungwoo was so happy he couldn’t contain his excitement. Jaehyun was truly the love of his life, his soulmate, and the man of his dreams. It was a future he'd have to wait for, but they had time. Plenty of it at that.

“I love you, Jaehyun,” said the younger male, pulling away from the elder’s broader frame to smile at him properly. And to his surprise, Jaehyun was giving him his most favorite smile, full dimples on display as he leaned down to capture his lips in another kiss, this time molding them slowly as they enjoyed their time together under the stars that Jungwoo loved so much.

“I love you too, my love. I always will.”

The same stars that had just witnessed Jaehyun's deepest desires and innocent promise to the boy he loved so much. 

Right there, in the middle of nowhere in an abandoned highway where not a soul could be spotted, the boys sealed the promise with fervent kisses, alluring touches, and mingled breaths in the backseat of the older boy's car, giggling to themselves and sharing innocent kisses that lured each other to unconsciousness eventually, not without kissing each other some more until it was nearly impossible for them to keep their eyes open any longer.

All under the stars that seemed to shine brighter than before as they lured the two boys to dreamland, quietly sneaking away and keeping the promise a secret as the break of dawn could be seen through the horizon.

A life together. 

That's what Jaehyun wanted and that's exactly what Jungwoo would give him.


End file.
